E & J

This story is copyright of Destinie21.

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Evelyn sensed the other woman's absence even before she was fully awake, she was disappointed but not really surprised. She would have liked to have awakened with Jerusalem in her arms but somehow she was absolutely sure it would take more than words to assure the frightened little girl that hovered just below the surface of the confident woman.

Still Evie couldn't help feeling a little bit cheap, she wasn't the type of woman to give herself to just anyone so she didn't particularly relish the feeling of her lover sneaking off in the middle of the night like she was some sleazy one night stand. Maybe things were different between two women, different rules and ways to play the game. She wasn't sure, it wasn't like she knew any other women who had paired off, and even if she had she still might not have known. After all she wasn't like that, so she'd have no reason to even inquire about the inner workings of such relationships.

As Evelyn lay there thinking the sun rose over the island giving birth to a newborn morning, she was sad to be leaving it's beauty behind but had no regrets at least not yet, but she was beginning to wonder if maybe she should, after all she had never meant to redefine her sexuality or even to call it into question but now that she had she wondered what the results would be.

Jerusalem had slept fitfully hovering in between dreams and reality, by the time the sun began to rise she was tired but couldn't force sleep to come. She got up frustrated with chasing rest and exhausted from pushing unwanted thoughts and images from her mind. As she began to pack for her return to the states she felt like shaking some sense into herself, how the hell could she be falling in love with Evelyn Masters?

Maybe she had gotten heat stroke or some damn thing, or maybe this was the start of some kind of weird phase. Whatever it was she wasn't about to let it control her anymore, and she sure wasn't going to let some Island fling redefine who she was. The sex had been great and exciting but that was no reason to go overboard, and once she got it together enough to explain it to herself she'd definitely make sure Evie...Evelyn understood too.

Breakfast was a tense affair though Donnie couldn't quite put his finger on why. Evelyn was running hot and cold and hovering on the edge of distraction and Jerusalem seemed tired, on edge and just generally out of sorts. She hadn't been rude exactly she just seemed repressed somehow. He wondered if they'd been fighting, he sure hoped not he didn't want to spend the remainder of his time on the island making sure neither one of them came to bodily harm. Teki the man he'd met at the club, had invited Donnie to spend the day on some nude beach, and he wasn't inclined to refuse, just so he could referee some cat fight from hell.

To avoid any impending sense of duty he hurried away as soon as he could with only the briefest of explanations and not a second to spare for any objections. He was finally about to have a little Island fun himself and nothing and nobody was going to stop him.

When Donnie departed Evelyn made her way back to the guest house and into her room, she was a far to restless to be confined by its walls and eventually ended up on the outer terrace looking over the large expanse of Garner's lush estate She was more than a little upset that Donnie had left, she had hoped that they could talk for a while, and his absence felt like a personal abandonment.

There was so much on her mind and even if he didn't have all of the answers , he would have at least been there to listen and offer some emotional support. She recognized that she was being petty and selfish in her anger, after all he wasn't her personal problem solver, and she had abandoned him for nearly two days without so much as a courtesy call, and now she was tripping because he wouldn't be at her beck and call for a few hours.

What the hell kind of friend did that make her? Without fully realizing it Evelyn began to cry, tears of frustration, confusion and maybe a little bit of understanding rolled down her cheeks as she stared out over the horizon. As much as she wanted to believe it she just couldn't seem to convince herself that she was still the woman she'd always thought herself to be. She hadn't been tricked or fooled or even seduced into being with Jerusalem. She had in fact made the first move, albeit her intentions weren't completely motivated by the sexual attraction.

Still the attraction had been one thing but as usual one thing had lead to another and then she'd found herself submitting to something brand new without hesitation. Plus on top of everything else there was the fact that Evelyn had always thought she was open minded when it came to people and sexuality, hell wasn't her very best friend in the whole wide world gay? Hadn't she marched with him in the pride parades as a show of support? Wasn't she the one always spouting off about inalienable human rights and basic civil rights for all people, not to mention the freedom to live without labels?

So why was she tripping now that she'd slept with a woman? And why did everything in her want to rebel when one of those labels might be applied to her? Forget being in her backyard the issues were in her damn house and now she wasn't so sure she could handle them. If sleeping with women was fine by her then why did she feel guilty and ashamed?

She was afraid to even think the word lesbian so would she ever be able to own it if it came to that? She hadn't thought too much about the result of meaning of her actions but now it was almost time to go home, and get back to her normal life, and she found herself with so many questions to answer, and so many answers to question.

Jerusalem had retired to her rooms after breakfast and once again she had sought sleep, after a half hour of tossing and turning not to mention a fair amount of cussing she gave up on her date with the sandman and got up, her first inclination was to find Evelyn and somehow purge the woman from her system but she knew without trying that she wasn't going to be able to do so.

That morning she had fully intended to talk to the other woman and break it off , that's what she'd always done when she wanted to end a relationship, without regret or remorse or even a second thought but when she'd walked out onto the patio that morning and seen Evelyn sitting there something had stopped her. Something about the was the older woman looked in the sunlight with the breeze slight breeze ruffling her hair had mad Jerusalem take pause, it wasn't a quickening of her heart or anything that romantic, it was lust plain and simple. The only thought left in the girl's head had been sweeping the array of food from the table and replacing it with Evelyn. She could almost hear the woman's moans and feel the heat of that sun kissed skin beneath her fingertips.

Right then it had been so very easy to convince herself that the only thing between them was some hella good sex. Now Jerusalem was just a little uncertain and the little bit of doubt unsettled her. maybe she was just overreacting after all this influx of emotions could have been a side effect of learning the woman's heritage still Jerusalem thought it might be better to simply avoid the other woman for a spell. So instead she changed into a set of workout clothes before heading to the indoor workout center. There were definitely a lot of perks in knowing the uber rich.

Jerusalem stepped off of the treadmill with her mind more at ease than it had been in many hours, she finally felt as if she could relax , there was a certain satisfaction that enveloped the body when it was physically spent, from a workout. She might have gone to her room and taken a quick nap if she hadn't begun to feel so hungry , instead of resting she took a quick shower and slipped into a brief tunic, before heading to the kitchen.

Evelyn looked up as Jerusalem entered the room, she couldn't stop her eyes from taking the girl in from head to toe. She wore nothing more than a deep brown cotton tunic that barely brushed her thighs, the garment was simple and plain but Evelyn found it sexier than anything she could presently think of. She wanted to look away and deny the way her body responded to the girl's mere presence but somehow she just couldn't.

She'd been consciously avoiding Jerusalem all day by staying in her room, but the other woman's absence during the meal had seemed unfair somehow, Evelyn knew that once again such thinking was irrational she had considered not showing up herself but couldn't bring herself to be that impolite. Thau had called her and advised that lunch was ready and that he would be picking her up due to the high winds.

She could think of no logical reason to refuse nor could she deny the fact that she was indeed hungry. So she had ended up dining alone for the most part although there was enough food to feed four or five people. Despite her earlier isolation dining in solitude made her lonely so she was happier than she herself wanted to admit that Jerusalem had shown up, and beyond the happiness there was something more, although she couldn't quite define what.

"What are you doing in here?" Jerusalem asked breaking the silence of the room.

"Eating" Evelyn replied as a smile played along the corners of her full lips.

"I can see that." Jerusalem replied returning the hint of a smile and seating herself. "I meant what are you doing in the kitchen, why aren't you outside on the patio."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow in question

"Where have you been hiding all day? The wind is blowing like all hell broke loose out there." Jerusalem merely shrugged.

"I was in the gym I didn't realize the trade winds were blowing. Wait did you walk over here?" She demanded sounding for all the world like a mother about to scold a naughty child.

"Um no Thau picked me up."

"Good."

"What were you going to do if I did walk? Spank me?" The words left Evelyn's lips before she'd fully thought them out.

Jerusalem would have laughed if the words didn't call such an enticing image to mind, but before she could speak on the image another thought interrupted.

"What about Donnie? Did he get back from that private beach?" Jerusalem voiced the questions that had just crossed her mind.

"I know he was giggling about some nude beach but I don't know if it was private, and no he's not back yet. I tried to call him a while ago but he didn't answer on his cell."

"The nude beaches here are private, since the public beaches are topless or at least tops are an option the "nude beaches" are generally privately owned by resorts or homeowners. Some of the locals prefer complete nudity so they sort of crash the beaches without much trouble involved, the only thing is most of the nude beaches are hard to access on foot without having to walk miles and miles, so mostly they go on the little motor scooters and make a day trip out of it..."

Jerusalem trailed off realizing she'd been trying tho distract the other woman's worry with her own rambling, but it hadn't even worked a little. She hadn't meant to worry Evelyn but she had.

"I'm sure he's fine they probably left before the winds even started and went to hang out somewhere else..."

Evelyn shrugged and attempted a smile. Jerusalem was probably right she just couldn't help but worry about Donnie it wasn't like him not to answer his phone and she didn't like the idea of him out there on some little scooter with the wind howling across the island. She didn't imagine that he was fool enough to actually ride in this weather but still she couldn't help her concern.

Jerusalem didn't say so but she was worried too, she wanted to call Donnie right away but if he didn't answer she knew Evie might not be able to take it so instead finished eating praying that whatever he was doing he'd be able to pick up the phone when she did call.

The two women went to Jerusalem's room to get her phone since Evelyn had forgotten hers in the guest house, she didn't particularly want to be in Jerusalem's room but her concern to find Donnie trumped all other emotions and besides it wasn't likely that they were going to fuck with Donnie MIA

Donnie woke slowly, stretching his languid limbs he felt as though he'd been drugged but he knew his euphoria came from something a little more basic. It had been a long time since he'd felt this satisfied, longer than he cared to admit in fact. He just hadn't found anybody he clicked with , or where the attraction was really there, moreover he hadn't been able to find anyone who wanted more than casual sex, and the older he got the more he needed and wanted a companion and not just a playmate, but here none of that mattered the same way it did back home.

For now he was content with casual sex because he knew it wouldn't go beyond that, there was no chance for involvement or the pain that came along with it, or rather the pain that came along with the lack of a relationship where he'd been expecting one to bloom.

Memories flooded his mind like rain and like rain they slipped through his grasp before he could hold them. It had been nearly 7 years since he'd lost Paul and he was just now beginning to understand that pain , even in his loss he had longed for somebody to comfort him and hold him like only a lover could, but his grief had proven to be too much and for years he'd tried to build his dreams on weak foundations, without ever really dealing with the dream that had died.

He'd tried to replace Paul when he knew he never could and as a result he'd kept reliving the pain instead of living through it. It had Taken him three years to understand that and another two to find peace in the midst of his anguish , he still longed for a partner but he'd gotten beyond the point where he would frantically search them out with a fervent need. And now he'd turned another corner, without much thought or provocation, he'd been able to submit to pleasure with no expectation beyond having a good time.

He wasn't about to fall into a promiscuous lifestyle or any such thing but it felt good to know that the desperation that had driven so many of his romantic actions was gone, or at least lying dormant for a while.

Paul had been that soul mate, best friend, lover, and helpmeet that Donnie had always heard and read about. At 27 he hadn't thought he'd ever find that love then all of a sudden he'd met Paul at a book signing/ poetry reading and all of a sudden his life had begun. Paul had been a social worker who always brought his work home, he was sensitive and kind and compassionate, not cut out for working with abused women and children when you weren't supposed to get personally involved.

He was still good at his job even though it hurt him in so many ways. Donnie was forever telling him about being objective but he never did convince him. Paul was stubborn right up to the day he died...maybe if he'd been less stubborn he would have still been here today...Donnie turned his thoughts away from that subject and line of thinking not willing to go there again. He'd lived through to many seasons of regret to keep on going back to that place.

Teki propped himself up on his and stared at the man in his bed, he seemed to be in his own world, they hadn't even made it to the beach which was a surprise to him. He'd tried every trick he knew to get the dark good looking man to join him after they'd met at the club but Donnie had bolted like a skittish colt, even after they'd kissed and touched all night. Teki knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the American had been aroused so he couldn't understand the mixed signals or his ultimate failure to entice the man.

He'd planned to try again today, his seductions rarely failed and he didn't take defeat very well at all. His lean dark body and gentle, full features paired with his thick curling hair and perfect smile had always gotten him nearly everything he wanted from both a men or a women, so Donnie's refusal had intrigued him. When he'd picked the man up at the gates of the lavish estates he'd smiled to himself and decided to redouble his efforts and do anything it took, the American had claimed to be on business and Teki had doubted him but he knew of Garner, hell most of the Island knew about the man and his wealth and if Donnie had business with such a man did that not mean he was successful as well?

Teki was used to being kept by rich Americans and Europeans who vacationed on the Island but times had been hard of late and he needed a new keeper perhaps this tall dark business man was the answer to his prayers. He hoped so he dreaded the gardener's work he had to do in between affairs.

They'd ridden off on his Vespa with Donnie gripping his waist and pressing his muscled chest against Teki's back. They'd stopped at a café so Teki could pick up food for what was to be their lunch, he'd planned on having a romantic little picnic on the beach with the sound of the sea splashing in the background and the sun shining on their naked skin, a little perhaps a little wine sipped from the bottle as there were no glasses to be had, then light kissing, a few secret caresses...then back to his place or maybe they'd find a secluded alcove on the beach.

He'd been happy with his plan and suspected it would work, it had never failed him before. But once he'd gotten the food and packed it away in his bag Donnie had seemed more interested in finding out where Teki lived than visiting any beach, and just like that they'd ended up back at his place.

Donnie had been just as surprised as his new friend when he'd simply invited himself over, it had been a spontaneous thing, more of a passing thought spoken aloud than anything else. He'd figured they would have the whole day to visit the beach but he was charmed by the younger man and wanted a chance to spend some time alone with him, not to mention the fact that while the idea of the beach was fabulous the actual humidity and heat didn't appeal much to the city boy in Donnie. It was one thing to imagine being there it was another to actually bear the heat and crowds that went along with beaches of any kind.

Teki's house was quaint to say the least, it had belonged to his father and his grandfather before that, it was a strong structure built to withstand the high winds of the island, but it wasn't at all grand, the land was in worth more than the house that stood on it, especially since the island had grown into such a tourist hot spot. The house had only two bedrooms and a small living room and an even smaller kitchen. The indoor plumbing had been added later so the bathroom was a sort of addition to the house tacked onto the back in a somewhat haphazard fashion. The floors were all wood and easily swept free of dust and sand and there were many windows to keep the house cool.

The interior was spotlessly clean and sparsely furnished but the furniture that was there seemed to be a bit to luxurious for the surroundings, all in all it was what designers were paid to achieve, a sort of expensive bohemian effect gave the place a sense of charm that was just short of passé.

Donnie would have loved to know if Teki had put this all together himself or if the effect were somehow contrived, but he didn't ask instead he just took in his surroundings and tried to relax, now that he was here he was feeling a bit nervous it had been a while since he'd been on a date of any kind and he wasn't sure what to say or do.

He tossed out the idea of talking business with the twenty something god like island boy, because he could just about picture himself boring the poor man to tears, with his talk of armoires and chifforobes, he wondered if they could talk about music but that might be something that would end up being moot, he wasn't that much of a yellow American as to imagine that his limited knowledge of music would mean anything to the man, and he simply didn't know any of the local music or musicians so any conversation on the subject would be short lived at best.